Around 125 companies from Europe, USA, Asia, and Africa, including few associations such as Rwanda Poultry Industry Association are exhibiting at the ongoing Poultry Africa 2019 in Kigali. The two day exhibition has attracted almost all the leading manufacturers in the world of poultry, some of them revealing innovative products to the African growing poultry markets. Two parallel technical sessions are also held which gives exhibitors and invited professionals the opportunities to better present and discuss their products with visitors.

While declaring the exhibition open, Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana, described the event as a rare opportunity for key players in the poultry industry to network and explore ways and means of improving their different poultry operations, as all the key poultry value chain players in the world are featuring in the Poultry Africa 2019. She thus urged Rwanda poultry business owners (as well as other sub saharan visitors who thronged the event) to take advantage of the presence of the captains of the industry to establish contacts and linkages so as to improve their respective poultry operations. “To those that wish to start engaging in various poultry value chain business, this is your time,” she advised.

Among the innovative products revealed at the exhibition were the Vectormune Newcaste disease vaccine by CEVA; Patio On Farm hatching by Vencomatic ; Peckstone mineral supplement by Royal Ilac; and the SASSO dual purpose chicken breed. Livestonews interacted with these companies in order to extract details of their inventions for the benefits of Nigerian poultry stakeholders

The Vectormune Newcastle disease vaccine is a unique live recombinant vector vaccine of the rHVT-F type that gives lifetime immunity to the chicken. A single vaccination with vectormune ND at day old, after reaching complete clinical protection against NDV challenge at 3 – 4 weeks of age, induces 100% of clinical protection up to 72 weeks of age and more. This innovation has significant impact for layer chicken farming, meaning that with vectormune ND, monthly shot of ND Lasota starin would become unnecessary. CEVA revealed that the vaccine is already been used by one major hatchery in Nigeria.

Perhaps the most exciting innovation is that of Vencomatic, which has developed a broiler chicken rearing system which allows the eggs to be hatched in the same pen that the birds will be reared. Patio is a fully controlled housing which provides for candled and fertile eggs (after 18 days of incubation) to be placed in the environment where the chicks will also grow to adult. Thus, the young chick is provided with conditions perfectly matching its needs, right from the moment it emerges from the egg. Patio On farm hatching not only eliminate the stress associated with transportation, but also makes feed and water available immediately after hatch and allows for chicks to hatch out at different hours to receive the same similar optimal post hatch treatments.

Peckstone by the Royal Ilac company from Turkey is an innovative solution to pecking and cannibalism disorders in poultry flocks. It also aids natural beak trimming in replacement of heat beak trimming. The product is produced from natural raw materials and can supply vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, sodium and many other nutritive elements.

SASSO has been developed as a dual purpose breed especially suitable to small holder condition of semi extensive rearing system. The male birds can attain 2.20 kg body weight in 60 days while the female birds do lay up to 200 eggs in a year even under the free range supplemented rearing system. SASSO Africa’s representative confided in livestonews that farmers in Nigeria would be able to buy SASSO day old chicks by the middle of 2020.

Poultry Africa 2019 will enter its third and final day on Thursday 3 October and you can thrust livestonews to bring you the fresh and exciting information on the closing ceremony.